Police said the 15-year-old fought back with a fire extinguisher before escaping a northwest Baltimore home and finding help.
BALTIMORE — A 23-year-old Baltimore man has been charged with attempted murder and kidnapping after authorities said a 15-year-old girl accepted an unlicensed ride, was taken to a northwest Baltimore home and stabbed before fighting back with a fire extinguisher and escaping.
Abubakarr Barrie was arrested Oct. 24 in the 3700 block of Garrison Boulevard, two days after the attack, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Police said he was taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility and charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder and multiple assault offenses. Court records cited by local news organizations also list kidnapping, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, a weapons offense and theft among the charges. The allegations have not been proven in court.
According to charging documents reviewed by several Baltimore news organizations, the girl was at her sister’s home on Oct. 22 when she accepted a ride from a man she believed was operating a “hack,” a local term for an unlicensed taxi. She wanted to travel to a takeout restaurant on Belair Road, but she told investigators that the driver began heading in the wrong direction. When she questioned him, the documents allege, he restrained her and continued driving.
The girl told police that Barrie took her to a residence on Garrison Boulevard and forced her inside, according to the charging documents. Investigators allege she was taken into a basement area, where the man told her to put down her phone and not scream. The documents say she was then attacked and stabbed multiple times. Authorities have not publicly identified the girl because she is a minor.
During the struggle, the teenager fought back by scratching at her attacker and striking him with a fire extinguisher, according to the documents. She was then able to get out of the residence and run through the neighborhood seeking help. She knocked on doors until a resident answered and allowed her to use a phone to call her mother and 911.
Baltimore police said officers had been called to the 3800 block of Belle Avenue for a reported stabbing. When officers arrived, they found the 15-year-old receiving medical treatment. Police said she told investigators that she had escaped from a basement in the area after being stabbed by a man. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and was expected to survive.
Charging documents cited by local news organizations say the teenager suffered about five stab wounds and a collapsed lung. Investigators later used several pieces of information supplied by the girl to identify a suspect, including details connected to a Cash App account and a description of the vehicle used for the ride. Police also linked Barrie to a vehicle matching her description, according to the records.
The girl’s missing iPhone also became part of the investigation. Court documents cited by local outlets say its location was traced to the Garrison Boulevard residence. The teenager later identified Barrie as her attacker in a photo array, according to reporting based on the charging documents. Baltimore police announced Oct. 26 that detectives had arrested Barrie in connection with the case.
A judge ordered Barrie held without bond during a court appearance Oct. 26, according to local news reports. His public defender told the court that Barrie maintains his innocence. The Baltimore Banner reported that online court records list the public defender’s office as representing him and that the office did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
Barrie remains in custody as the criminal case proceeds. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25, according to court information cited by local news organizations. Police have not announced additional arrests, and authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the alleged attack.